Title: WME
Location of Proejct: Nashville, Tennessee
Project Completion Date: January 2016
Firm Name: HASTINGS

Short Description: Driven by the concept of “duality,” the space was designed to be approachable, hospitable, and relaxed, while also being unapologetically unscripted, impassioned, and confident.

Architect's Statement: WME represents artists across all media platforms, specifically movies, television, music, theatre, digital and publishing. In keeping with the offices in Beverly Hills, New York, London, and Miami, WME’s new Nashville office embodies WME’s brand and culture while also adopting Nashville’s southern hospitality. With an eye to the future and a desire to rebuke the status quo agency design, the design balances refined intervention in a raw space.

Exposed ceilings, systems, structures and the use of raw materials. Polished concrete slab floors and steel are countered with clean, white lines and large expanses of glass that define the workspace. The design mindfully balances the elegant and refined workspace within the raw, open space.
Rethinking WME’s use of space, the Architect developed an open neighborhood concept – seating six agents to a neighborhood with a bay of assistants at the center. Glass-fronted offices allow natural light to flood the space and share exterior views with agents and assistants. Each neighborhood is organized as a communal space intended to foster collaboration and impromptu conversation.

A two-story gathering stair establishes a vertical connection and captures the duality of WME as both an internal space for meeting and learning, and a performance and party venue complete with framed views of the Nashville skyline. The 14th floor café serves as an employee eating area by day and a bar and serving area for parties and events.